Hawks fans buying up tickets, memorabilia

Many line up outside sports stores to stock up on gear for Stanley Cup finals

May 24, 2010|By Jennifer Delgado, Tribune reporter

Debbie Simon, 54, had one mission Monday: to buy Blackhawks Western Conference championship T-shirts and a hat for her son.

Simon, who has been a fan of the hockey team since 1961, arrived at Chicago Sports and Novelty on Michigan Avenue at 10 a.m. Six people were already in line.

After the Blackhawks clinched the Western Conference title Sunday, fans spilled into sports stores, called ticket brokers inquiring about ticket prices for the Stanley Cup finals and inundated the Internet for all things black and red.

"We always carry a bit of merchandise, but this time, we can't seem to keep it in stock," said Chicago Sports and Novelty's manager, Myra Cisneros.

And the mania has only just begun, Blackhawks merchants said.

At Clark Street Sports on the Near West Side, employees saw a line of 15 people outside the store's doors around 9 a.m. The crowd has ranged from die-hard fans to younger ones just learning about the Blackhawks, store owners said.

"We've had numerous people that have said they've never watched hockey before and now they're looking for a shirt," said Arthur De Leon, the store's co-owner. "We've had a lot new customers."

The store's most popular item &#8212; Blackhawks hats &#8212; sold out online Sunday night, De Leon said.

More than $50,000 worth of playoff merchandise has been sold at the Blackhawks' kiosk in Woodfield mall, Michigan Avenue store and United Center outlets, said Peter Hassen, the Blackhawks' senior director of market development and community affairs.

Along with hats, player jerseys and souvenir pucks have been major selling items, Hassen added.

Besides an increase in clothing sales, some Chicago-based ticket brokers said they've seen a spike in phone calls and expect that number to skyrocket once the opponent is announced and the finals schedule is finalized.

"The phone started ringing five minutes after (the Blackhawks won)," said James Magoonaugh, owner of Redline Tickets.

At AAA Tickets Inc., company officials said that by Monday afternoon, more than 100 people had called.

"A lot of people are just calling us to check the market," said Paul Brown, manager of AAA Tickets. "We're getting as many sellers as we are buyers."

Depending on the seats, the price to see the Blackhawks play range from $500 to $10,000 a ticket, brokers said.

Blackhawks fan Stephen Levy, 44, said he scoured Web sites like StubHub and eBay and called many of his friends looking for tickets. As a partial-season ticket holder, the Lakeview resident didn't receive any tickets for the playoff games. But he's determined to see his team play &#8212; as long as the price is within his budget, he said.

"I'm not going to sell my son," said Levy, whose company allowed him to buy $1,000 worth of Blackhawks hats for its 42 employees. "You've got to kind of scramble and beg and just keep working."

About 11:30 a.m., Simon, of the South Loop, was one of dozens surrounding the Chicago Sports and Novelty cash register, waiting for the new shipment of memorabilia to arrive. She left with only two shirts but said she'd be back to buy more.

"We're out of our minds crazy for the Blackhawks," she said. "I expect I'll be back for a pretty big purchase in about a week and a half."